Douglas Macgregor
Encyclopedia
Douglas A. Macgregor is a U.S. Army
Colonel (retired)
, author, and consultant. While in the Army, Macgregor was an adroit fighter and innovative thinker, but his unconventional thinking may have harmed his Army career.
" during the Gulf War
. Facing an Iraqi Republican Guard opponent, U.S. troops with 10 tanks and 13 Bradley fighting vehicles destroyed almost 70 Iraqi armored vehicles with no U.S. casualties in a 23 minute span of the battle. As Macgregor was towards the front of the battle involved in shooting, he didn't "request artillery support or report events to superiors until the battle was virtually over, according to one of his superior officers." The risks he undertook "could have been criticized had the fight turned ugly."
At a November 1993 exercise at the Army's National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin
, Lt. Col. Macgregor's unit vastly outperformed its peers against the "Opposition Force." The series of five battles usually end in four losses and a draw for the visiting units; Macgregor's unit won three, lost one, and drew one. Magregor's unit dispersed widely, took unconventional risks, and anticipated enemy movements.
Macgregor was a top Army thinker on innovation. He "became prominent inside the Army" when he published Breaking the Phalanx, which argued for radical reforms. Breaking the Phalanx was rare in that an active duty military author was challenging the status quo with detailed reform proposals for the reorganization of U.S. Army ground forces. The head of the Army, United States General Dennis Reimer
, wanted to reform the Army and effectively endorsed Breaking the Phalanx and passed copies out to generals; however, reforming the army according to the book met resistance from the "board of directors"—the four-star generals—and Reimer did not press the issue.
Many of Macgregor's colleagues thought his unconventional thinking may have harmed his chances for promotion. While an Army NTC official called him "the best war fighter the Army has got," colleagues of Macgregor were concerned that "the Army is showing it prefers generals who are good at bureaucratic gamesmanship to ones who can think innovatively on the battlefield." Macgregor was also seen as blunt, and to some, arrogant. Despite Magregor's top post-Gulf War NTC showing, his Army career was sidelined. The summer of 1997 marked the third time the Army refused to put him under control of a combat brigade, "a virtual death warrant for his Army career, relegating him to staff jobs as a colonel for the remainder of his service."
Macgregor was the top planner for Gen. Wesley Clark
, the military commander of NATO, for the attack on Yugoslavia
.
In the fall of 2001, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
, who had read Breaking the Phalanx, insisted that General "Tommy" Franks
and his planning staff meet with Colonel Macgregor on 16–17 January 2002 to discuss a concept for intervention in Iraq involving the use of an armored heavy force of roughly 50,000 troops in a no warning attack straight into Baghdad.
Macgregor left the Army in June 2004. He is the vice president of Burke-Macgregor, LLC, a consulting firm based in Reston, Virginia, and he occasionally appears as a guest commentator on television and radio.
in international relations.
Article: "Refusing Battle", Armed Forces Journal, (April 2009).
Article: “Washington’s War”, Armed Forces Journal, (October 2007).
Article: “Fire the Generals!” Defense and the National Interest, (March 2006).
Article: XVIII Airborne Corps, Spearhead of Military Transformation, published in Defense Horizon, Center for Technology and Security Policy, National Defense University (2004).
Book: Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights, Praeger Publishing, Inc. (2003)
Article: Resurrecting Transformation for the Post-Industrial Age, published in Defense Horizon, Center for Technology and Security Policy, National Defense University (2001).
Article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=GatewayURL&_origin=inwardhub&_urlversion=4&_method=citationSearch&_piikey=S0030438700000600&_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fclient%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26q%3DBalkan%2BLimits%2Bto%2BPower%2Band%2BPrinciple%2C%2Bpublished%2Bin%2BOrbis%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8&_version=1&md5=ad3121f8220a65baf14b6667b69a1abdBalkan Limits to Power and Principle], published in Orbis, Vol 45, No. 1 (2001).
Article: Transformation and the Illusion of Change, published in National Security Studies Quarterly, Vol. VI, Issue 4 (2000).
Article: Joint Operational Architecture: The Key to Transformation, published in Strategic Review, (2000).
Article: Transforming Operational Architecture for the Information Age, published by The Jaffee Center, Tel Aviv University, (2001).
Article: Command and Control for Joint Strategic Action, published in Joint Force Quarterly (1999).
Article: Initiative in Battle Past and Future, published in Marine Corps Gazette (1997)
Book: Breaking The Phalanx: A New Design for Landpower in the 21st Century, Praeger Publishing (1997).
Article: Setting the Terms of Future Battle for Force XXI, published in Land Warfare Paper, No. 20 (1995).
Article: Future Battle: The Merging Levels of War, published in Parameters, Vol. XXII, No. 4 (1992)
Article: US and Soviet Military Disengagement From Germany, published in Comparative Strategy, Vol. 8. (1989)
Book: The Soviet-East German Military Alliance, Cambridge University Press (1989).
Article: The Reliability of Non-Soviet Forces in the Warsaw Pact, Journal of Soviet Studies, University of Glasgow, 1986.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Colonel (retired)
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
, author, and consultant. While in the Army, Macgregor was an adroit fighter and innovative thinker, but his unconventional thinking may have harmed his Army career.
Career
Macgregor was the "squadron operations officer who essentially directed the Battle of 73 EastingBattle of 73 Easting
The Battle of 73 Easting was a decisive tank battle fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between American-British armored forces and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard. The battle took place several hours after the Battle of Al Busayyah...
" during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. Facing an Iraqi Republican Guard opponent, U.S. troops with 10 tanks and 13 Bradley fighting vehicles destroyed almost 70 Iraqi armored vehicles with no U.S. casualties in a 23 minute span of the battle. As Macgregor was towards the front of the battle involved in shooting, he didn't "request artillery support or report events to superiors until the battle was virtually over, according to one of his superior officers." The risks he undertook "could have been criticized had the fight turned ugly."
At a November 1993 exercise at the Army's National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin
Fort Irwin Military Reservation
Fort Irwin & the National Training Center is a major training area for the United States Military and is a census-designated place located in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Fort Irwin's...
, Lt. Col. Macgregor's unit vastly outperformed its peers against the "Opposition Force." The series of five battles usually end in four losses and a draw for the visiting units; Macgregor's unit won three, lost one, and drew one. Magregor's unit dispersed widely, took unconventional risks, and anticipated enemy movements.
Macgregor was a top Army thinker on innovation. He "became prominent inside the Army" when he published Breaking the Phalanx, which argued for radical reforms. Breaking the Phalanx was rare in that an active duty military author was challenging the status quo with detailed reform proposals for the reorganization of U.S. Army ground forces. The head of the Army, United States General Dennis Reimer
Dennis Reimer
Dennis Joe Reimer is a former Chief of Staff of the United States Army from June 20, 1995 to June 21, 1999.Reimer grew up in Medford, Oklahoma. He graduated from the United States Military Academy and commissioned a second lieutenant in June 1962. After commissioning, he attended the field...
, wanted to reform the Army and effectively endorsed Breaking the Phalanx and passed copies out to generals; however, reforming the army according to the book met resistance from the "board of directors"—the four-star generals—and Reimer did not press the issue.
Many of Macgregor's colleagues thought his unconventional thinking may have harmed his chances for promotion. While an Army NTC official called him "the best war fighter the Army has got," colleagues of Macgregor were concerned that "the Army is showing it prefers generals who are good at bureaucratic gamesmanship to ones who can think innovatively on the battlefield." Macgregor was also seen as blunt, and to some, arrogant. Despite Magregor's top post-Gulf War NTC showing, his Army career was sidelined. The summer of 1997 marked the third time the Army refused to put him under control of a combat brigade, "a virtual death warrant for his Army career, relegating him to staff jobs as a colonel for the remainder of his service."
Macgregor was the top planner for Gen. Wesley Clark
Wesley Clark
Wesley Kanne Clark, Sr., is a retired general of the United States Army. Graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and later graduated from the...
, the military commander of NATO, for the attack on Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
In the fall of 2001, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
, who had read Breaking the Phalanx, insisted that General "Tommy" Franks
Tommy Franks
Tommy Ray Franks is a retired general in the United States Army. His last Army post was as the Commander of the United States Central Command, overseeing United States Armed Forces operations in a 25-country region, including the Middle East...
and his planning staff meet with Colonel Macgregor on 16–17 January 2002 to discuss a concept for intervention in Iraq involving the use of an armored heavy force of roughly 50,000 troops in a no warning attack straight into Baghdad.
Macgregor left the Army in June 2004. He is the vice president of Burke-Macgregor, LLC, a consulting firm based in Reston, Virginia, and he occasionally appears as a guest commentator on television and radio.
Education
Magregor received his Ph.D. from the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in international relations.
Views
- Breaking the Phalanx advocated that "the army restructure itself into modularly organized, highly mobile, self-contained, combined arms teams that look extraordinarily like the Marine Corps' Air Ground Task Forces".
- In 2004, Magregor stated that he strongly supported war against Iraq.
- During the beginning of the Iraq War2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, Macgregor disagreed with those who wanted to slow the advance into Baghdad in order to fight FedayeenFedayeenFedayeen is a term used to describe several distinct militant groups and individuals in West Asia at different times in history. It is sometimes used colloquially to refer to suicide squads, especially those who are not bombers.-Overview:...
paramilitary forces. - In 2006, after seven retired generals criticized then Defense Secretary Donald RumsfeldDonald RumsfeldDonald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
's handling of the war, Magregor faulted the generals themselves for poor war planning and the resulting complications in Iraq. - In 2008, Macgregor stated he would argue that American military action in Iraq and Afghanistan "has produced very serious and negative consequences for American national-security interests".
- Macgregor's 2009 book, Warrior's Rage: The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting, argues that the failure to finish the battle with the Republican GuardIraqi Republican GuardThe Iraqi Republican Guard was a branch of the Iraqi military during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. It later became the Republican Guard Corps, and then the Republican Guard Forces Command with its expansion into two corps....
in 1991 led to Iraq's second major confrontation with the United States in 2003. - In 2010, he strongly criticized the counter-insurgencyCounter-insurgencyA counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
strategy and escalation of troops in AfghanistanWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
.
Publications
Book: Warrior’s Rage: The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting, Naval Institute Press (September 2009).Article: "Refusing Battle", Armed Forces Journal, (April 2009).
Article: “Washington’s War”, Armed Forces Journal, (October 2007).
Article: “Fire the Generals!” Defense and the National Interest, (March 2006).
Article: XVIII Airborne Corps, Spearhead of Military Transformation, published in Defense Horizon, Center for Technology and Security Policy, National Defense University (2004).
Book: Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights, Praeger Publishing, Inc. (2003)
Article: Resurrecting Transformation for the Post-Industrial Age, published in Defense Horizon, Center for Technology and Security Policy, National Defense University (2001).
Article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=GatewayURL&_origin=inwardhub&_urlversion=4&_method=citationSearch&_piikey=S0030438700000600&_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fclient%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26q%3DBalkan%2BLimits%2Bto%2BPower%2Band%2BPrinciple%2C%2Bpublished%2Bin%2BOrbis%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8&_version=1&md5=ad3121f8220a65baf14b6667b69a1abdBalkan Limits to Power and Principle], published in Orbis, Vol 45, No. 1 (2001).
Article: Transformation and the Illusion of Change, published in National Security Studies Quarterly, Vol. VI, Issue 4 (2000).
Article: Joint Operational Architecture: The Key to Transformation, published in Strategic Review, (2000).
Article: Transforming Operational Architecture for the Information Age, published by The Jaffee Center, Tel Aviv University, (2001).
Article: Command and Control for Joint Strategic Action, published in Joint Force Quarterly (1999).
Article: Initiative in Battle Past and Future, published in Marine Corps Gazette (1997)
Book: Breaking The Phalanx: A New Design for Landpower in the 21st Century, Praeger Publishing (1997).
Article: Setting the Terms of Future Battle for Force XXI, published in Land Warfare Paper, No. 20 (1995).
Article: Future Battle: The Merging Levels of War, published in Parameters, Vol. XXII, No. 4 (1992)
Article: US and Soviet Military Disengagement From Germany, published in Comparative Strategy, Vol. 8. (1989)
Book: The Soviet-East German Military Alliance, Cambridge University Press (1989).
Article: The Reliability of Non-Soviet Forces in the Warsaw Pact, Journal of Soviet Studies, University of Glasgow, 1986.